Jaws: Vick may be headed for career-best year

Posted by Evan Silva on June 29, 2012, 1:27 PM EDT

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Eagles quarterback Michael Vick replaced an injured and ineffective Kevin Kolb in 2010, and led Philadelphia to an 8-3 record while posting a 21:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and playing terrific football.

Vick took a step back after last year’s lockout-shortened offseason, going 7-6 as a starter and regressing to 18 touchdown passes compared to 14 interceptions. Vick also played banged up throughout the year.

ESPN’s Ron Jaworski studied every snap of Vick’s 2011 season. While there were obvious deficiencies in Vick’s playing style, Jaworski believes Vick is capable of taking a big positive step in 2012.

“This offseason is the most important of his career,” Jaws said on SportsCenter Friday. “It’s the first time since 2006 with the Falcons that he will go through the OTAs and training camp as the starting quarterback.”

As Jaws sees it, talent is no obstacle for Michael Vick. He must play with more discipline.

“There is not another quarterback in the NFL with Vick’s dynamic combination of passing skills and explosive running ability. There are some plays only Vick can make. The issue I have always had with Vick has been his willingness to run. To play the position outside of the pocket, outside the structure of the offense. There’s no question he’ll always make plays, but he also leaves throws on the field.”

“I charted all of Vick’s snaps last season,” Jaworski said. “He was taken to the ground more than 11 times per game. You can’t play 16 games that way. Vick always reminds me of something my former coach, Dick Vermeil, says: ‘The problem with quarterbacks who can run is, they run.'”

Still, Jaworski suggested that 2012 could go down as Vick’s best season after a full, healthy offseason in the system and as the surefire starter. Jaws believes Vick has a chance to put it all together this year.

“Vick has shown he is capable of throwing the ball exceptionally well from the pocket,” said Jaworski. “His overall throwing skill set can be top five in the league. His objective in 2012 must be to play that way more often. It becomes an availability issue. You can’t be an elite NFL quarterback if you can’t be counted on every single week.

“I am really excited to see Michael Vick in 2012. A more disciplined player will result in fewer turnovers. I would not be surprised if we’re getting ready to see the best year of Vick’s ten-year career.”

“Why do you guys continue to just praise this team year after year? It’s unfathomable.”
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It’s called being ‘paper champions’…. every year the team that has the most talent will be prematurely awarded the lombardi trophy by the general media!!!

The Eagles will shock and surprise a lot of people this year. I am no fan of Reid’s, but they made some good roster moves, scored a good replacement for Peters, had a very solid draft, have a good O and D line schemes, and guys on the same page including Jackson. Looking at a bounceback year, going 12-4 and a possible SB appearance.

What a shock! An Eagles fan who is proudly proclaiming “this is the year!”. More predictable than the sunrise and sunset. Wake all of us when the team and it’s QB actually win the only game that counts. Every year Vick gets older and slower. If Vegas had a line, I would be willing to put down some serious cash that we have already seen Vick’s best year and it’s a downward slope from here. The guy on the Eagles that scares me the RB, McCoy. He’s the one with the huge upside.

Things are looking up. but i still have concerns about our LT position & C.

I know we have ‘addressed the issue’ but.. Bell is injury prone and the backup is Queen Dunlap.., if Bell goes down we have a serious issue there, even though it’s not Vicks blind side.

Kelce,, there is a reason he was a 5th round pick.. Now he has to go up against a schedule that is packed with HUGE 3-4 NT.. what in the HELLLLL is Kelce gonna do against Gnata?? i can see us losing that game simply because Gnata is gonna throw Kelce into the back field every snap. I dont know if Kelce and either G can handle that.

If we keep Vick upright, he should throw for about 3500 & 25TDs.. if not,, well . . . . . damn

This guy can throw and he’s incredibly accurate when he sets his feet. Of course he needs to cut down on contact, and needs to work the pocket better, but you’d agree that the sky is the limit if you’ve ever sat down to watch his play objectively.

Admittedly, has has improved as a QB since getting to Philly, but lets be honest: No matter how much polish you use, the turd is still a turd. He’ll never be what people expect of him because he’s one of those guys who plays instinctively instead of using his head and making the right decisions. His instinct tells him to run, and that’ll never change.

Ron Jaworski? Oh yeah he’s the guy that was fired from Monday Night Football and didn’t get the Detroit Lions GM job about 10 years ago. Thanks Jaws now go play with the other moron over at ESPN Merril Hoge…

Things are looking up. but i still have concerns about our LT position & C.

I know we have ‘addressed the issue’ but.. Bell is injury prone and the backup is Queen Dunlap.., if Bell goes down we have a serious issue there, even though it’s not Vicks blind side.

Kelce,, there is a reason he was a 5th round pick.. Now he has to go up against a schedule that is packed with HUGE 3-4 NT.. what in the HELLLLL is Kelce gonna do against Gnata?? i can see us losing that game simply because Gnata is gonna throw Kelce into the back field every snap. I dont know if Kelce and either G can handle that.

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Did you ever actually watch Kelce play? If you had, you wouldn’t be worried about him. Who cares what round he was drafted in, as long as he can play? Go watch some games, please.